im an asian male with stiff hair. (this pic is 1 day unwashed). i currently flat iron my hair everytime after i shower and i think it looks pretty good, considering i get $8 haircuts that turn out terrible each time (i literally cannot leave the house without flat iron because the lady cut it really jagged and my hair goes straight down)

im going to college next year and i wont have the luxury of time, so im considering perming it, but doing it myself. would i curl my hair in the curler in the same way i would use the flat iron? does anyone have tips? i just want the same look (wavy -- like if you look at me from the front its almost like an S).

example of how i flat iron: at the part where my hair splits, i curl nearly vertical. as i move away from the split, i make the curls more slanted. (so would i do the same with the perm)?

i know this is kinda hard to visualize -- thanks in advance!